Everyone involved with Habitat Hostels and The Siem Reap Hostel are keen to tread lightly on the planet and lend a helping hand to our local community. In Cambodia, The Siem Reap Hostel has a number of initiatives and partnerships to work towards responsible tourism in the best way that benefits the local community, staff and our partnering organizations. Your holiday, can make a real difference to lots of peoples lives in meaningful positive way.

Micro-finance

There are reportedly over 10,000 Tuk Tuks in Siem Reap! In the quietest parts of the year, this can mean drivers earn very little and there is a lot of competition for the tourist dollar. Unlike a lot of hotels, The Siem Reap Hostel does not take a commission from our drivers. We also do not charge them an annual fee to be part of our team. Instead the owners of hostel have started a micro-finance program, to help each tuk tuk driver pay off their own vehicle, which means they are not paying a rental fee each month for their tuk tuk. This can make a huge difference to some drivers, potentially doubling their monthly income. We have also set fair prices for a fair day’s work, together with our drivers. There are 21 Tuk Tuk drivers at The Siem Reap Hostel and we’re very proud to support all of them and their families.

Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave

The hostel has actively created a friendly work environment for our staff. We are proud to say that our staff are entitled to paid maternity and paternity leave as well as other fair work entitlements. There are 30 families who rely on us for a stable life and without our guests we would not be able to offer them this - so for those of you who stay with us - Thank You!

Green Gecko Project

The Green Gecko Project is home to more than 100 of the biggest smiles you will see in Cambodia. The kids who were lucky enough to come in to the life of founder Tania and Rem, now have a safe and happy home, a school to attend and lots of positive support for their future and their families.

The Siem Reap Hostel is a proud financial and community supporter of The Green Gecko Project.

We can also help you to arrange a visit to the Green Gecko school to take a tour on Fridays from 9.30 – 10.30am.

http://www.greengeckoproject.org/

Volunteer Support

We provide discount accommodation rates for volunteers at select organisations in our specially set aside volunteer dorms. If you're thinking about coming to Cambodia to volunteer we recommend experienced placement agencies such as ConCERT Cambodia or AboutAsiaSchools . We support most of the NGOs affiliated with these agencies and a few more that we're confident are providing a reasonable standard of community service. Please contact us if you think you may be eligible for our support.

Cambodia Children's Trust

Cambodian Children’s Trust (CCT) is a non-profit NGO running projects to help break the cycle of poverty in the Battambang region of Cambodia. We provide practical, long-term support to some of Cambodia’s most vulnerable people. The Siem Reap Hostel is a proud financial and community supporter of this organisation and the projects they are developing within Battambang.

http://www.cambodianchildrenstrust.org/

Capacity Building

As an organization, The Siem Reap Hostel endeavors to train and up-skill our staff as they progress through their careers. The Siem Reap Hostel has launched an internship program to train young men and women who are graduating from orphanages and provincial schools. We aim to give them the experience and certificates they will need to achieve a head start in a career in hospitality. The Hostel also supports a number of small business developed by local Cambodian entrepreneurs to supply our food, tours, furniture and repairs. From the beginning The Siem Reap Hostel has invested very heavily in the local community using Cambodian architects, builders and suppliers from day one.

7 Makara StreetNear the corner of Wot Bo Road and High School Road in the Wat Dam Nak area.Centre of Town, Old MarketSiem Reap, Kingdom of Cambodia